Automatic loading device



F. HAMROI. 1,781,873 AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE Filed Jan.- 31, 1929 5 sheets-sheet 1 Nov. 18, 1930.

NI i@ ATTORNEYS ANov. 18, 1930. F, HAMRQL AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE Filed Jan'. si. 1929,

. gx 5 ww um 3.1 ww m m m nun/@ m81 h m m wvl/. 5J m/w. .m N www 10N. Nr .Q NN 2. F 7 I l Ww 5 Sheets-Sheet F. HAMROL AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE Filed Jan. 51 1929 Nov. 1s, 1930.

ATTORNEYS Nov. 18, 1930. FQHAMROL.

AUTOMATIC LOADING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 t a, a E... ...L i,

Fild Jan.- 3l, 1929 E ma. Nq G ma Nov. 18, 1930. F. HAMROL l AUTOMATIIC LOADING DEVICE Filed Jan. 3l, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENToR ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 18, 1930 1 ysfr Aras FELrx nemnonfornnrnorr, MICHIGAN, Assrelvcn, BY Mesnnlnssrcunnivrsro i ffnoro'n. CITYv` (sanasv 'conrangpr nnrnonr, :.vnronreau,ra-,conronnrrom or f QUCHIGAN f llAUT'cnrajrc nonninanevica'kv The present invention pertains to an automatieloading device, the objecti-ofrwhichfisj ft receive articles Vand todeliver them in a given position into another'machinefinwhich 3'55theyfare' to; be further y.worked upon. *The machine ot theginfventiori is 4'constructed to 're'ceiveithe article two different positions, "andthe position'in which Vanv article is received is not fdeinte'ly vcontrolled but is' determined onlyby the manner in which it happens to; drop into the loading machine.

' one particular position, the article would continue on its way,'1f not interrupted, and enter l5 the subsequent machine in upright position.

if, however, it enters the loading machine in i the other position,` itv must be interruptedand invertedfso vto' speak, in order vto enter the subsequentmachine in upright position; The

"vloading device of this invention," although entirely automatic, is 'constructed `in .such a manner 'as not to interfere with the articles entering in the first mentioned orcorrect positionand to act uponfandinoert those enter- 25 ingin the other position. V` l Y j* The inventionis fully disclosedbynway of jexample in thefollowing description and in the accompanying drawing, in which'- F 'Figure l is'a plan Vview ofthe machine; Y n Figs. 2 and 3 are detail cross sections show ing in elevation the cams for operating the .gfippingjwsr s c, is a transverse section on the line fd-oFigqlyf Y fVV Fig. 4? is a detail of Fig. 4, showing one of Athe cams isolated and the member .operated ,.therfebyr j t Fig. 5ji`s alongitudinal section. on the line -ofFigly.V 1 f j 'K L .-Figs. 6 and 7i are detail sections on the lines 6,6, and 7, '7 'respectively of Fig. 4;

Fig. 8 is .aA rearendgviewof theniachine; Fig. 9 is a section similarto Fig. 5 but showingthe gripping'jaws in a di'erent po- 5s`ition; Fig. l()V is a` detail crosssection showing' the grasping device `taking hold Vof the article;

Fig. l1 is La detail 'section showing the cam 50 mechanism for operating the grasping device;

articleg" f Fig. l'is'acr'oss sectionsimilar-to Figl; illustrating the action: when'the articleen# `ters the loadingniacliine in upright position FigQl'T-f is a "detail-crosssection of *zi-modi?" Y lied struct-ure `orhandling ia'narticle -0a Y fifi.4 f *16.0

"FigljlS is asimilar-section of the same l ,Having fallen into the loading machine in y to designate correspondingv parts throughout.V .f The machine of this invention 'is constructto-Figs. 4 and 10 'andi-.showing successive posi# tions of 'the partsduring thehandling'ofthe different shape .Y 'i

modification', showing adiiierents'tage of the operationgandf' ,j Fig'.19is' an other detail cross sectionshow-v ing'another modification fora diierentform of article. A

' Reference lto these',viewswillfnoviT be made by use of like character-Sweat are' empi-@yea Y ed for they purpose of receivingarticles',s`uch as nuts, and deliver them;v in one 'given'posiclesA are to be' operated-upon.` The latterfnaing a circular series of chucks 2. The articles V'tion into another machine. in whichv theA artif` f I to be, operated upon are nuts v31 which are 'to only one given position, which will be termed mode of insertion in the turrets is permissible,

and the machine of this invention receives the articles and delivers theni tothe" turretsin `betappedby the machine l, and consequent- Y lthy must be deliveredto the chucks 2 inf l' 380 the upright position." It thea-rticleswere alike atfboth ends, twofdi'fferent positions iinthe turrets would be available'and per'mis'si- Hble, and simple means could beprovid'edfor restricting the articles-to these two-positions aft only V'this one'position. It is by virtue of the y dierence between the-ends ofthe articlethat the loading device *acts selectivelyy on only those that'require tovbe inverted.

The loadingmachine is built 'Within aV trame comprisinga base 5 and legs' orposts. 6 upon which a tabletop 7 yis secured. '7 :At oneof'the longitudinal edges of the machine is a pair .of guide members `8 abutting each other' andsecured to the table by lscrews 9.

9aY y -be ejected by means whichviill'now be de- The e'ecting member! is a rodi60 slidably passe'dthrough the carrier 40,1springi57'and collet 42fso that one'. end thereof is adapted to pass throughv the gripping end lof the collet. The other end ofthe rod outsideof the carrier 40, has a head 61" between which and Yns the adjacent end ofthe carrier is aspiring 62 surrounding the rod and tending '-to retract the latter fromlthe gripping end of the collet.

' I A bracket fissupportedfrom the Itable 7 and serves as the' fulcrum fora lever 64 4which hasy one end loosely'lzonnected to the head 64, as at 65, to permitplay. The other end of the leverxcairiesa roller 66V engageable .by a cam 67 on the shaft 21. Itwill be'seen,

lparticularly in` .Figures 12 and .13, that this camhas asindle-andshar rise`67V sof-that the. action oftheejectorrod 60 will be rather abrupt; The rise` 67` com'esinto `operation againstthe roller ,when the colletlhas been Withdrawn to the position shown inlFigures Vi12 and 13, whereupon the rod 60 strikes the nut and releases it from the collet, permitting Vit'to fait into therrmouth `ofthe chute 16 as shown in Figurevl. )Therod k60 noWWithdraws from the grasping end ofthecollet as the rise'67 hasipa'lssed in Figure 14. v Y. Y

Y, The rear face of the body member 16 consti# tuting the chute and a plate 7 0 SecuredA tothis `*facelare formed to provide away 71in which the roller 66,:as shown vertical channePmember 72f'isslidably v mounted The back 'lof the ichannel -is l positioned' tov be raised -to occupy auposition bejtween vthe grippingv end of the. collet tand av nut held lat .the station 15. VThe back 73 of the channel member constitutesthe partitionf ing member and may be saidto dividethe w `mouth of the chute into two` compartments,

one of which liesbetween the ejector and the holding means 11,12 for the nut, andthegoth-v cr of'Which-comprises the stationl. f

The channel is formed at its lower end a-Wall orabutment 74, randthe upper end re- Vceives an abutment-.75 extending l.from the :plate 71;- The channel-A proper e'ontains a4 .spring 76 having its -ends'fbearing against these abutmnts, so that the' channel isnormally moved'doW'nvvardly.v The 4movement of Vthe channel is limited by apin? 7 extending from Vthe body member .'16 into aislot78 formedV in the back of )the channel.

yThe channel `member. is positively operated by a lever 79 having one end in engagement with the lower end thereof and an Vintermediate point fulcrumed ata bracket 8O on the base 5. The other end of the .lever 7 9 carries a roller 79 engaging a cam 81 on the shaft 21 `and consisting of two rises 82 and 83 and an arcuate portion 84 as shownmore clearly in Figure 4a. This cam is designed-to hold the channel memberdepressed bymeans of the arc 84,- asin Figure 10, then hold the channel v a {vertical end '93,- and lthewnut which? has passed dovvn the chute-is constrainedto pass into the portion 93 by means of a1 Wallmem-v elevated bythe arc ofthe higher rise '82, asin Y channel to descend, by. mea-nso the straight Figures 12 and 13,.'andiinally..permit'the side of the rise 82., toroccupy the initial dei pressed position shown .in Figures 10 andl.`

in Figure 10, the channel perrnitsthe"colletV l40 to grasp the nutj,4v After the collet has removed thevnutwfrom the station 15,:theilc'hannel rises tothe partitioningposition in which it divides the mouth of thechute 16-.intortwo compartments as alreadyLdescribed1 and In the depressed orvinitial position slmwn'ii'mV shown in Figure 1221 lWhile the'ch'annelfislin this position,.the rod 60ejects`the nutgfrom --thepcollet, andthe upper fand outwardpoint ofjthevnut falls against the baclrof the channel Whilecthe Alovverniost point of the neck56 tilts on vthe base "of the collet during `ejection as shown in' Figurefl'S lThefchannel now Vbegins to: descend or'recedej as the rollerfv79 i i rides 'on the straightl side lof" "the 4rise `82 as. f Y c shovvnjin Figure 14 so that VVtheut. is'guided by the engagement ofthe `channelfwithv the I j top of the-nut.v This actionbrings-the topof lthe nut intojcontact `With the base ofthech'ute 16, thereby determining the manner irri which upperendV of the back of theffchannel is-bev-y ,eled .at to con-formfwith 'the base ofthe chute When the*channelhasreacheditsfinal, f'

or initial, position asdetermined` bythe aro 84 of the cam 181. f

accommodating Va slide 91.y f f The chute `16, has

ber94 secured to theifrontend o'ffgthe body 16 and constitutinga vvall of the :portion 93.

vthe nutfallsintoand'lies' inffthech-ute. `-zThe "The baseer the -bOdyf-iefirefinedwiam y recess or chamber'90 Fiigureswlz ande) 1 for i 4iO'n the baseA 16 of" the' member 16 is slid- 'i Vlablymountedia jaw 95 guided byzstuds 96 l passing therethroughand .a-nchored'fin the .forward end of the slide 91.v 'Springs '97 surrounding the studs and engaging the Y, 11o I i heads thereof bear againstthe'gaw 95 and 1 'Y urge it towards the slide. Theiavv is ylimited -V l val"'99 in Figure 1.4 f 1 r-Themechanism`A for. operating".the slide i' Vcomprises a bell .crank lever 100 fulcrumed yto-the bracketVA 80 andjequipped'atone end With a. roller 101 engaging'a large'cam 102 on the shaft 21. This cam-is-circular With the exception of a. single notch 103 which,

leiiects an oscillation of thelever-100 Vas Will presently appear. The rolle-r lOl-isnormally held in engagement with the cam y'102 b v means ofV a spring 104 connecting an arm oix the lever to a stud 105 on theibase 5. The iremaini'ngend of thelever 100 is joined-hva link 106to a-pin `107 `(Figure 1)` anchored in the slide 91and passing through a slot 108 l in. one of .thesides ofthe `body116 adjacent the cavity 90. j 1 Y Y. .Y

WV-hen the roller lOl-rides on the main arc of the cam102, the slide 91 is disposed rearl wardly and inwardlyy of the chute end 93 and `isspaced sufficiently from the jaw 95 top'rovideample clearance for a nut to drop `into the spacebetween'these parts as illustrated in`-Figures 1 and 4. lVhen the roller 101 enters the notchy 103, the slide 91 moves forward, binding the nut `aga-inst the jaw 95 and-moving both parts forwardly against the actionxof the springs`97, until thenut is brought over an aperture 109 in the base 16\,which apertureis-in turn directly over one of the chucksiwhen the machine 1 is at rest for loading. It. will be understood that themachine 1 is operated and timed by any suitable means in synchronism with the loadin'ghdevice in a manner to .bring one of the 'chuckslf2 -at rest beneath the aperture 109 while a. nut is' being delivered to the aperture bythe slide 91. ram110. releases the nut from between Vthe jaw tand slide and driveslit .through the aperture 109 into thechuck 2.

When the'rollerv101 rises vout of the notch '103, the slideY is retracted tol the, position shown in Figure 4, and the jaw 95 is moved against the wall'member 94. Y

Figure 16 illustrates theoperation'of the loading .device whenthe lnut enters thereceiving opening 13 in the-other position, i. e.'with the neck -56 presentedfforwardly rather than towards 1the colletV 42. VAs the carrier 40 advances towards the nut, the collet abuts the head ofthe nut but does not e11- close or grasp the saine. The collet therefore is held stationary while the'car-rier 40 continues to advance to the end of its forward stroke. and this-relative movement between vthe collet and `carrier is permitted by the yieldable drive connection 57 between these part-s. A4When the carrier and collet recede from the nut, the latter-merely drops into theI chute 16.

.The importance of having the station v15A entirelyat the forward side of the partitioning channel 73 will nowbe'apparent, inasmuch as this member does notinterfere with Y the nut in the casewhere it falls directly into the chute, without being acted upon by the collet, as in Figure 16. The other case where the nut is inverted by thecollet with the aid of the partitioning member has already been described. Y y i s y The loading'device is applicable also to members other than nuts, the only requirement being` that the articles have one end different from the other in order to enable,

selective action by the collet. -In the instance shown in'Figure 17, the articles being loaded are tapered roller bearings 111. The collet 112 is shaped to receive the smaller end but is not of suiiicient size to receive the larger end. lVhen the member 111 enters with its smaller end presented towardszthe collet, it is gripped Y therebyand invertedwith the aid. of the vpartition 73 asshown in Figure 18, but if entering 'withV its larger end 'facing' the ,icollet, it merelyI drops directly into, the chute without 'having'.l been grasped bythe collet.

' In Figure 19 is shown another modification i of the invention where the distinction between the ends `of the article120 is that one of them vis counterbored asat `121. Y The "collet 122-isof the expanding type having a rounded tip 123 which readily entersthe counterbore and holds the article 120 by they tension ofthe fingers of the collet.- .If the article 120 enters in such a manner as to permitfthe collet to enterthe counterbore 121,'the article is thus drawn inwardly ofthe machine and then ,re-

leased from the collet bythe mechanism already described, but if the article enters with its plane end facing the colletno such action takes place, and the articlemerely drops directly intofthe chute atthe forward side'of the partitioning member V73.

' Y Although specific embodiments ofthe invention have been illustrated and described,v it willfbe understood thatfvariousV alterations f inthe details ofconstruction maybemade without departing from the scope of the invention, as indicated by .the appended claims.

- lhat If claim is 1 Y l.

J1. In -a Vdevice `for loading-'articles into. ia

(gi-ven end of said articleandto exclude the Vother yend, an 'ejector adapted :to release the article fromsaid grasping means',a delivery :.machi'ne, holding means for retainingan article, a carrier movable` towards` said' holdchute "beneath saidholdingmeans, a parti- Y tion slidable in the-mouth of said chute 'fand adapted to divide the'same into two compartments, one of whichis between said holding means and ejector,said ejector being timed to discharge the article from said grasping means into said compartment, said partition being actuated andtimed toengage the discharged article and guide it into said chute.

3. In a device for loading articles into a machine, holding means for retaining an article, a carrier movable towardsv said holding means, grasping meanscarried by said carrier and yieldably held thereby, said grasping means being shaped to receive a given end of thearticle and to exclude the other end, an ejector adapted to release the article from said grasping means, a delivery chute beneath said holding means, and a partitionslidable in the mouth of said chute and adapted to 4divide the same intortwo compartments, .one

of which is between said holding meansand ejector, said ejector Abeing timed todischarge the article from said grasping means into said compartment, said partition being vactuated and timed to engage the discharged article p and guide it intosaid chiite.

4. In a device for loading-articles into a machine, holding means for retaining an ar# ticle, a carrier movable towards said holding means, a collet yieldably carried by' said carrier and adapted to grasp a given end of kan article and4 to exclude theother end, a slot and pin connection between said carrier. and

collet, an ejector rod slidable through said collet and engageable with said article to remove the same from saidy collet, achute be` neath said holding means, means for operat-l L ing said carrier and ejector rod, and 'a partition slidable in the mouth of said chute andA adapted to divide the same into two compartments, one of which is between said holding means and ejector rod, said Vrod being timedV to discharge the article upon said collet into said compartment, said partition being actu-'- ated and timed toengage the discharged `article and guide it into said chiite.

L'5. In adevice for loading articles into a machine, said device having an opeiiingfor receiving such articles. ras inO means adapted to grasp an article, a pair of jaws adapted to engage an article at the receiving ,6.-In a device for loading articles'into a machine, a pair of jaws adapted to hold and.

release an article, `meansfor actuating said towards said point, means vfor, .actuating said jaws and releasing them from said article when thelatterisengaged', an ej ectoradapted toV releasethe articlewfrom said grasping `Vmeans, and av delivery chute beneath said holding means.

8. In a devicejfor loading articles ak machine, a pair of jawsadapted to hold and release an article, means fory actuating said j aws,` grasping means adaptedto gr'aspa. 'ven end of said article and to excludethe ot er1 end, an ejector adapted to release ,the article from said grasping means, a deliverychiite beneath saidjaws, a partition slidable in the f "mouth of said chute' and adapted todivide the Y same into twocompartments,` one of which is vof between said ejector andfjaws, said ejector` being timed to discharge the articlefrom said grasping means-into` said compartment, said Vpartition being actuated and timed to engage Y the discharged article and'guide it into'said chiite. f

' 9,. In a device forloadingarticles into av r l machine, saidfdevice having lanopening for receiving such articles, grasping means adapted to grasp an article, apair ofjaws'adapted l to engage an article at the receiving opening and carry it to a vpoint opposite said grasping releasing them 'from the article when' the lat- Lmeans, means for actuating saidv jawsand ter is engaged bycsaidv grasping means, an y ejector-adapted to release the article from Said graspingmeans,adelivery chute beneath l vsaid jaws, and a partition slidable inthe mouth of said chute and adapted to divide is between said ejector and jaws, said ejector being timed to discharge the article from saidA grasping meansinto said compartment, said partition being actuated and timed tovengage the 'discharged articlev and guide it into said chute. `r In testimony whereof I aiix mysignature.

' FELIX HAMROL jaws, a carrier movable towards said jaws, 'n grasping means carried by said carrier and,

yieldably held thereby,said` grasping means being shaped to receive a given end of the article and to exclude the other end, an ejector adapted to release the article fr0msaid graspingmeans, and a delivery chute beneath said jaws. Y

7. In a device for loading articles into a machine, said device having an opening for receiving such articles, a carrier, grasping means carried by said carrier and 'yieldably held thereby, said grasping means being shaped to receive a given end of the article and to exclude the other end, a pair ofjaws Y adapted to engage a member at said receiving openingand carry it toa point opposite said grasping means, said carrier being movable the same into two compartments, one of which l so n j 

